Peter Haytaian, a former top executive at health insurance company Elevance Health, will have to sit for a deposition in the federal government’s case that alleges Elevance committed fraud in its Medicare Advantage plans, a judge ruled late Wednesday.
The decision is a victory for the Department of Justice, which initiated the highly watched case six years ago and has sought to interview Haytaian since February. It also creates a rare chance for a high-ranking official to discuss, under oath, how a Medicare plan operates.
Elevance has blocked DOJ from accessing Haytaian for a deposition, arguing he “lacks personal knowledge of the business practices at issue” even though he oversaw Elevance’s government health plans for more than four years — which included the time period when Elevance allegedly overbilled the government for its Medicare Advantage plans.
